Don't miss: Frieze London

This art fair is a cultural must, but how do you know which artists to tick off? Never fear — we reveal our blagger's guide.

By Sam Phillips
Published 25 Sept 2015, 09:00 BST, Updated 5 Jul 2021, 11:05 BST

Frieze London draws a whole host of art lovers to its sleek white structure in Regent's Park, from super-rich collectors who gain early access to snap up works, to thousands of punters whose wallet can only stretch to the entrance fee. With over 160 of the world's leading galleries exhibiting, how can you plot a course through the sea of sculptures, paintings and installations?

A good place to start is Focus, where young galleries present either one artist or a small group whose works relate to each other. Shanghai's Antenna Space spotlights Beijing-based Guan Xiao, whose videos and sculptures cut-and-paste together images from the internet, while London's The Sunday Painter shows Samara Scott, a British artist who's created a colourful semi-domestic environment, with curtains, furniture and wall-hangings. Société Berlin presents a triumvirate of American artists, Petra Cortright, Timur Si-Qin and Josh Kolbo, the latter of whom has gained acclaim for his striking photo-sculptures.

A dazzling array of performance art can be found in the Live section, including a piece by Brazilian artist Tunga featuring two teenage girls walking around with their hair entwined in one braid.

Elsewhere, Frieze Projects, the fair's series of site-specific commissions, includes an installation by Rachel Rose, winner of the Frieze Artist Award 2015. The project caps a great year for the US artist — who's the subject of shows in October at London's Serpentine Gallery and New York's Whitney Museum — and comprises a chest-high replica of the fair tent, in which distorted sounds, effects and lights mimic the sensations felt by animals in Regent's Park.
(14-17 October) friezelondon.com

Published in the October 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK)

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